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Increasing Incident Reporting Through Influencing Risk Perception
Get PDFOrganizations commonly use data to predict future safety injuries through trending data reported by workers in daily interactions with hazards and risks. Trends in these “leading indicators” can then lead to efficacious subsequent intervention. However, this practice is rendered inoperable when no hazards and risks are reported. Many organizations seek to remedy poor reporting practices internally. It is not uncommon for corporate safety compliance teams to identify recurrent incident themes and launch focus initiatives to elicit more awareness and reporting in these areas with the ultimate goal of mitigating additional injuries. However, it is unclear whether such initiatives lead to an increase in voluntary reporting in focused areas by way of cognitive or behavioral processes. This proposal investigates the impact of corporate focus on safety issues (e.g., ‘slips, trips, and falls’) on subsequent reporting in those areas (e.g., ‘the floor is slippery in my area…’). We hypothesize that corporate focus topics that allow for the most risk perception processing will result in more voluntary reports of near misses and minor injuries related to focus issues. If this relationship is confirmed, the company can use this information to build more effective corporate focus programs, and use subsequent data to make predictive or otherwise impactful safety decisions
What do you mean by ‘safe’?: Embedding granularity into a global threads company’s safety recording practices
Get PDFOrganizations use data to predict future safety incidents through identifying trends and subsequent interventions. However, a lack of data variability can prove fatal to analytics, as it gives no opportunity to capitalize on discrepancies that should exist in everyday working environments. Without the ability to use data to correlate safety incidents and associated factors, targeted safety interventions become more difficult to implement effectively. A solution to this obstacle lies in reassessing current data-collection practices and directly providing an opportunity for greater variance. Thus, we recently worked to enhance the safety recording practices at production facilities of a global threads manufacturing company. Each of the company’s global manufacturing facilities use a five-factor indicator index to maintain record of all plant safety practices—resulting in an overall ‘safety score’ for each facility at the end of every month. However, these records do not sufficiently represent each facility’s practices, as 60% of the indices are measured on a binomial scale. Rather than detailed inventories of safety training and associated details (e.g., the number of employees who participated in each session, assessment results, etc.), each facility indicated whether or not they had distributed assigned safety information in some form. In safety, it is not enough to simply indicate whether or not things are being recorded; it is essential to measure safety elements in order to identify safety incident correlates and implement effective interventions. To develop a more granular system to measure leading safety indicators, we conducted multiple and repeated interviews with SMEs, conducted an audit of all previously required and turned in safety measurement materials, and made note of any consequences associated with failure to report monthly scores from the org’s 32 global manufacturing facilities. The resultant Leading Indicator Index Scale consists of the original 5 factors, each with now 4 levels: “Needs Work,” “Below Standard,” “Standard,” and “Exceeds Standard”, where ratings increase in increments of 5 points (5, 10, 15, and 20, respectively). Data subsequently collected through this new system would be used in correlations to examine the relationships between plants and indices. This data could also be used in conjunction with reported incidents in linear regressions in effort to identify direct predictors of safety incidents, allowing facilities to quickly or even preemptively address safety concerns. In short, the implications of this study on safety analytics are tremendous, as it develops a more acute model organizations can use to audit their safety practices
Looking For A More Effective Online Learning Experience: Personality and Attention Ability As Moderators
Get PDFHistorically, organizations have used in-person training, while sometimes relying on technology (e.g., pre-recorded tapes), to train employees. However, online instruction has become the preferred method of educational and organizational learning experiences, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic (Use, 2020). Sometimes online learning produces greater knowledge gain and similar satisfaction to in-person instruction, and other times the learning is equal (cf. Sitzmann, et al., 2006). Despite the assumption that online training is cheaper and easier to deliver, it should be implemented so that the technology allows for effective learning (Salas et al., 2012, emphasis added) and in ways that accommodate disabilities (Use, 2020). One strategy for tailoring online instruction could be to mold it to employees’ personalities and attention spans. An increased reliance on online instruction could grant people with diminished attention spans, such as those diagnosed with ADHD and other learning disabilities, a more accommodating space to accommodate their learning experience. A less structured learning environment is likely to be preferred by individuals who have lower attention abilities, due to their ability to complete tasks at their own pace and freedom to express excess energy, as individuals with diagnoses such as ADD or ADHD often benefit from being able to move around and fidget, which can aid in their learning of complex material (CBC, 2017). The learning of certain complex material or training will then affect transfer, or the application of material learned on the job site (Lacerenza, et al, 2017). The current study hypothesizes that individuals with high scores of extroversion and high attention abilities will report lower online learning satisfaction/success compared to individuals in an in-person class. Participants will be college students enrolled in either an in-person or online course. Satisfaction and success will be measured with a survey developed by Keller & Karau (2013), and attention skills will be measured with Span et al.’s (2002) measure of attention. If the hypotheses are supported, the results can be used to support online learning/training being shifted to meet the reasonable needs/accommodations for employees, for example for those with learning disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
The effect of cross-cultural engagement on intercultural sensitivity levels in monolingual and multilingual individuals
Get PDFInterculturally sensitive individuals are more confident when it comes to intercultural interaction (Chen et al, 2000). For today’s globalized work force, intercultural interaction is common, making interculturally sensitive employees necessary. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of cross-cultural engagement on intercultural sensitivity, and to determine if monolingual and multilingual individuals have a greater increase in intercultural sensitivity. While many organizations understand the importance of having interculturally sensitive employees, there is not much information on how intercultural sensitivity is increased. Cross-cultural engagement can facilitate a positive view of an unknown culture (Marginean et al, 2019). Studies show that children growing up in multi- or bilingual homes are able to read referential cues, such as hand gestures, better and are more effective communicators (Yow et al, 2011). Participants in this study will be asked to participate from various global hospitality and education organizations located in the U.S., South Korea, and Thailand. An experimental design will be used to determine the relationship between cross-cultural engagement and Intercultural sensitivity and the relationship between monolingualism/multilingualism and intercultural sensitivity. Participants will be separated into two groups, monolingual and multilingual. Each group will be assigned a partner within the group with a different cultural background. Each participant will take a pretest of the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS). The ISS consists of 24 items measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Partners will meet once a week to engage in a cross-cultural activity, and after six months, intercultural sensitivity will again be assessed using the ISS. A repeated measures ANOVA will be used to analyze the changes in the ISS scores pre and post activity, and a regression analysis will be performed to observe whether multilingualism predicts a greater increase in intercultural sensitivity. As the work force becomes more diverse and intercultural interaction becomes more prevalent, understanding ways for employees to become more interculturally sensitive becomes more important. This research will evaluate whether cross-cultural engagement can increase intercultural sensitivity and whether multilingual individuals will have an advantage in increasing intercultural sensitivity. In practice, if cross-cultural engagement has a positive effect on Intercultural sensitivity, managers can increase opportunities for employees to engage with individuals from different cultures so that their intercultural sensitivity will build up
Linking Psychology Curriculum with Career Skills
Get PDFA psychology degree remains a popular option for undergraduate students. This demonstrates the appeal of a degree that pertains to an understanding of social constructs, individual motivation, statistical analysis, research design, and problem-solving. Notwithstanding the numerous skills undergraduate psychology students gain in their studies, they remain chronically underemployed in the workforce. A possible explanation for the underemployment of undergraduate students involves a closer look at the transferable skills acquired by undergraduate psychology core courses. It is the intent of this study to grasp a better understanding of what knowledge, skills, and abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) students gain from undergraduate psychology courses. Psychology SMEs rated the extent to which KSAOs are obtained through the undergraduate psychology curriculum. This data will then be used to design a KSAO crosswalk that provides students a resource to identify KSAOs acquired during their psychology education, and consequently, understand the practical and transferable implementations of these sought-after workplace skills
“A penny for your thoughts:” developing an adapted stimulus reward association – Stroop task to assess the impact of individual difference factors on cognitive control
Get PDFLimited studies have examined the effect of feedback sensitivity and intrinsic motivation on cognitive performance. The present study serves as a pilot project for a study at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga that examines the modulating role of external, monetary reward incentives and cognitive intrinsic motivation on cognitive control. For the present study, the relationship among cognitive performance outcomes (reaction time and accuracy) on an adapted Stimulus Reward Association Stroop Task will be explored. Two main hypotheses were tested in the present study: H1 Reaction time on congruent trials will be significantly faster than reaction time on incongruent trials. H2 Accuracy on congruent trials will be significantly greater than accuracy on incongruent trials. Implications from the findings of this study will provide a foundation for future examinations of the motivational factors and feedback conditions that affect cognitive performance
Applicant justice perceptions of machine learning algorithms in personnel selection
Get PDFMachine-learning artificial intelligence algorithms provide organizations with the opportunity to quickly and efficiently process information about potential employees while reducing costs associated with selection and turnover. However, any bias or error present in the programming of such algorithms as a result of information drawn from historically biased data is evident in the resulting output (Illingworth, 2015). Recently, applicants have expressed growing fairness and equity concerns about the risks associated with the use of algorithms in selection processes. The present quasi-experiment analyzed applicant reactions to selection processes to understand whether machine learning algorithms or human hiring decision-makers influence perceptions of fairness and equity and ultimately organizational attraction and job pursuit intentions. Applicants perceived more fairness and equity in the selection procedure when human evaluators reviewed applicant resumes compared to algorithmic evaluators. Additionally, the more fairness and equity applicants perceived, the stronger organizational attractiveness and the higher job pursuit intentions they reported
Security fatigue and its effects on perceived password strength among university students
Get PDFThis study was performed with the goal of observing the effect, if any, that security fatigue has on students’ perceived strength of passwords. In doing so, it was hoped to find some correlation between the two that would help in establishing a measurable effect of the phenomenon in students. This could potentially aid organizational decision-makers, such as security policy writers and system admins, to make more informed decisions about implementing security measures. To achieve the goal of observing this fatigue and attempting to measure it, a survey was distributed to numerous students on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus. The results of the final data analysis show no correlation between security fatigue and students’ perceived password strength, but other findings of note did emerge. Notably, both fatigue-state groups of students showed very close mean scores for perceived password strength, with those scores indicating a higher trust in the strength of passwords than is actual. This result implies a lack of influence from security fatigue, as well as a general deficiency in students’ abilities to properly judge the strength of passwords. 2-Factor Authentication is thus proposed as a primary item of interest for addressing this deficiency and meeting the needs of students with varying priorities according to their fatigue state
Living entanglements and the ecological thought in the works of Paul Kingsnorth, Tom McCarthy, and Ali Smith
Get PDFIn my thesis, I use the work of Donna Haraway, Timothy Morton, Karen Barad, and Anna Tsing to explore how three contemporary British novelists—Paul Kingsnorth, Tom McCarthy, and Ali Smith—deal with the representational and ethical challenges of writing about nature and climate change within the Anthropocene. The question of how to live and write now is a prominent thread in all their works, which show, in both form and content, the entanglements of ecology, materiality, locality, nationality, and personal identity. In doing so, their stories enable readers to engage with what Morton calls the “ecological thought,” i.e. “a practice and process of becoming fully aware of how human beings are connected with other beings,” and provoke us, as Haraway puts it, “to be truly present . . . as mortal critters entwined in myriad unfinished configurations of places, times, matters, meanings.
A mother\u27s guide to dying
Get PDFThis thesis contains the first ten chapters of a novel and a craft essay on the dialect of African Americans in literature. Craft is made by culture, and is reflected in creative writing. In the craft essay, I discuss the importance of employing dialect for writing believable characters with depth. Although the subject of dialogue and dialect has been controversial in the craft of writing, Black writers must stay vigilant examining how dialect is used In African American literature, with two ultimate goals; to give voice to community we represent, and to respect the authenticity while accurately recreating it. Most of the stories in my novel are written from the first person point of view in order to represent this community, employing the current rules of writing dialect while sustaining the rhythm and flow of the African American voice, with African Americans as my intended audience